1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information data reproducing apparatus and, more particularly, to control of an information data reproduction procedure.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, devices for recording/reproducing information data such as image data or audio data on/from a random access medium such as an MO (Magneto Optical disc) have been proposed.
In such recording/reproducing devices, generally, the data write/read rate for a recording medium is higher than the data rate of information data to be recorded. Hence, an apparatus of this type has a kind of buffer memory called a shockproof memory. Data recorded/reproduced on/from a recording medium is temporarily stored in this memory and then read out at a predetermined timing to absorb the rate difference. The shockproof memory not only absorbs the rate difference for a medium but also prevents interruption of recording/reproducing processing due to disturbance such as a vibration.
Advantages of employing such a randomly accessible recording medium are that a list of recorded data can easily be looked up, and that moving image and music data can easily be edited since recorded data are divided to a certain unit and stored as files.
However, when, e.g., an MO is used as a recording/reproducing medium, the inter-area seek time required when areas where a plurality of data are recorded are to be sequentially accessed, poses a problem depending on the characteristics of the medium. For example, in reproducing moving images A, B and C recorded in separate areas on a medium, if the reproduction time of the moving image B is excessively short, seek may delay. This problem also occurs when one moving image is divisionally recorded in a plurality of areas.
To solve this problem, the invention described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 07-153238 employs a method of shortening the inter-area seek time by rearranging data on a recording medium in accordance with the order of reproduction. When this method is employed, divisional recording can be reliably prevented, and the seek time can be shortened.
In recent years, a reproduction description language (reproduction script) for controlling reproducing processing of thus recorded moving image data or audio data is proliferating.
An example is SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language). The SMIL can instruct synchronous reproduction or sequential reproduction of image data such as moving images or still images, and reproducing processing of another media data such as text or audio data. It can also instruct a transition effect which is useful upon switching display of image data.
Instead of executing an editing processing directly onto recorded image data or audio data, an editing result is recorded on a recording medium as a reproduction script together with image data and audio data. With this technique, no edited data need be newly generated. In addition, a decrease in storage capacity of the recording medium can be prevented.
In such a conventional method, however, for a recording medium with a low write/read rate, a considerably long time is required to replace data. In addition, every time the user changes the data reproduction order, the positions of data recorded on the medium must be replaced, resulting in much labor.
Furthermore, when a plurality of reproduction scripts are recorded on one recording medium, it is very difficult to rearrange the data on the recording medium so as to shorten the seek time for all the reproduction scripts.